Poverty is a multi-faceted phenomenon, influenced by a wide range of socio-economic
processes, and the characteristics of a population identified as poor can be quite
heterogeneous. Poverty is also an ongoing process rather than a static position. These
features of poverty represent a real challenge to policy makers in any attempt to identify
the most appropriate and efficient policy responses. Individual and household poverty
is very often measured at one point in time. This is the approach which is taken with
cross-sectional analysis of poverty. While cross-sectional analysis of poverty is extremely
important, it still constitutes a snapshot of a situation at a precise point of time. By
excluding the time dimension, this approach limits our understanding of poverty since it
cannot assess the duration of poverty, transitions into and out of poverty, nor the effect
of people’s previous experience of poverty and the influential role it plays on current
(and future) poverty outcomes. Also, a cross-sectional approach to poverty does not
distinguish those who are poor on a once-off basis, due to specific circumstances, from
those who are in poverty for a longer period of time for more profound and entrenched
reasons. Each of these would clearly require different policy responses.

Poverty is a multi-faceted phenomenon, influenced by a wide range of socio-economic
processes, and the characteristics of a population identified as poor can be quite
heterogeneous. Poverty is also an ongoing process rather than a static position. These
features of poverty represent a real challenge to policy makers in any attempt to identify
the most appropriate and efficient policy responses. Individual and household poverty
is very often measured at one point in time. This is the approach which is taken with
cross-sectional analysis of poverty. While cross-sectional analysis of poverty is extremely
important, it still constitutes a snapshot of a situation at a precise point of time. By
excluding the time dimension, this approach limits our understanding of poverty since it
cannot assess the duration of poverty, transitions into and out of poverty, nor the effect
of people’s previous experience of poverty and the influential role it plays on current
(and future) poverty outcomes. Also, a cross-sectional approach to poverty does not
distinguish those who are poor on a once-off basis, due to specific circumstances, from
those who are in poverty for a longer period of time for more profound and entrenched
reasons. Each of these would clearly require different policy responses.

en_GB

dc.language.iso

en

en

dc.publisher

Department of Social Protection

en_GB

dc.relation.ispartofseries

1

en_GB

dc.subject

POVERTY

-

dc.subject

LOW INCOME

-

dc.title

Persistent at-risk-of-poverty in Ireland: an analysis of the survey on income and living conditions 2005-2008

en_GB

dc.type

Technical Report

en

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